Walking the hallways of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., is, in itself, a course in U.S. history. Past presidents, in larger-than-life portraits, speak silently about their times and their unique roles in shaping the nation.

A similar collection of portraits lines the halls of Hebrews 11. These influential men and women, though, are not exhibited because of their leadership skills as much as for their courageous faith. Here are paintings of Abel…Enoch…Noah…Abraham. So long is the corridor that the writer of Hebrews was unable to describe all the pictures it contains:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets. (Hebrews 11:32)

Even the prophets don’t end the list! We could continue the collection with William Tyndale, John Wesley, George Whitefield, and others.

In the previous lesson, we studied several faithful men from the Reformation era. Time failed us, though, to tell the whole story of the greatest difference maker of that period, Martin Luther. Let’s pause for a while at his portrait and draw courage from his example of faith.